Becoming a solicitor? Important deadline for final year students

If you intend to enrol on an LPC in 2008 you must enrol as a student member of the Law Society through the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) by 1 August 2008.

You must declare any information that might affect your suitability to be a solicitor by 1 April 2008. This includes any:

• criminal conviction, including cautions (even if they are spent)
• instance of cheating in examinations or plagiarism during a course of study
• County Court Judgements against you, declarations of bankruptcy (even if they have been satisfied) or evidence of inability to manage financial affairs
• other incident in which your character has been called into question.

Further information about this process and deadlines is available on the SRA website.

What happens if you miss the deadline?

If you miss the deadline above the SRA will refuse your application unless there are exceptional personal circumstances. If you enrol on an LPC without the required written confirmations from the SRA, you will be asked you to leave the course and your course fees may be forfeited.

Enrolling on a LPC course

• Applications for full-time LPC places must be made through the Central Applications Board (CAB) www.lawcabs.ac.uk.
• Part-time courses applications must be made to the institution.

If the CAB received your application on or before 28 February 2008, it will forward your details to the SRA. If you applied after 28 February 2008, you must apply direct to the SRA for a student enrolment application form.

Contact the SRA: tel 0870 606 2555, e-mail info.services@sra.org.uk.

Certificates of Completion of the Academic Stage of Legal Education

If you graduate in summer 2008 and have completed your law studies at a single university, your name will be passed to the SRA. If you started your law studies at a university other than that at which you are graduating, you must submit a transcript of your course of studies to the SRA.